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TRIESTE 2021 WEMW

When East Meets West prepares for the MIDPOINT Shorts project showcase

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- Four short-film projects will be shown to the participants in the co-production forum on 25 January

When East Meets West prepares for the MIDPOINT Shorts project showcase
The four teams taking part in MIDPOINT Shorts

After completing three online workshops and participating in various online consultations, the teams behind four international projects will now get a chance to showcase their work during the MIDPOINT Shorts programme within the When East Meets West co-production forum. Hailing from Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic and Greece, respectively, they will enjoy their moment in the spotlight on 25 January.

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“The participants worked with great dedication – our cooperation was intense, and despite the fact that the meetings took place online, creative synergies were still formed,” observed Pavel Marek, head of studies. “I am excited about the filmmakers having the opportunity to present their projects at WEMW, and I hope it will help them on their way to the production of the films.”

The titles in question include Asphalt, directed by Minos Nikolakakis and produced by Vassilis Economou and Nikolakakis himself; Emilios Avraam's Boys of Summer from Cyprus, produced by Tonia Mishiali; and Ice Crack from the Czech Republic, directed by Elvira Dulskaia and produced by Rozalie Brozkova. Finally, Democracy Is for Grown-Ups, written by Nikola Kupresanin, and directed and produced by Ivana Marinic Kragic, will round off this year's selection.

"When I first heard about it, it felt like my life: an absent parent, a dominant parent and the need to succeed in a man's world," said producer Rozalie Brozkova about Ice Crack, which deals with the struggles of the only girl on a male hockey team, tired of being seen as “one of the boys”. "I knew it was my project immediately, and I am happy to be a part of it." While Kragic will show a young journalist who has to deal with the aftermath of her explosive report on corruption in law enforcement – slashed tires being the least of her problems – Avraam's Boys of Summer focuses on a teenage boy hanging out with his friends in an empty tourist town during the winter of 1998. In Asphalt, “tyrannical asphalt constructor” Mastrogiorgis begins a conflict with his less-than-stellar worker, Sokol, resulting in what seems like a brand-new take on Trading Places, as the two switch their positions.

“Expanding on the themes and narrative approach of my feature Entwined [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Minos Nikolakakis
film profile
]
, Asphalt is an allegory that fuses social-class struggle and magic realism,” Minos Nikolakakis told Cineuropa. “MIDPOINT was vital in order to balance these ingredients in an organic and intriguing combination, in a friendly and artistic creative environment that allows films to blossom.”

Here is the full list of short films taking part:

Asphalt - Minos Nikolakakis (Greece)
Producers: Vassilis Economou, Minos Nikolakakis

Boys of Summer - Emilios Avraam (Cyprus)
Producer: Tonia Mishiali

Ice Crack - Elvira Dulskaia (Czech Republic)
Producer: Rozalie Brozkova

Democracy Is for Grown-Ups - Ivana Marinic Kragic (Croatia)
Producer: Ivana Marinic Kragic

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